One of the most divisive debates around the baseball world has been whether players who have been implicated in steroid and PED use deserve to be recognized among the game’s best. One of the most divisive players in baseball over the years has been Alex Rodriguez.
Put these two things together, and watch the flames burst into a wildfire of differing opinions that simply can’t be contained.
Rodriguez reached another huge milestone on Friday night. With a first-inning homer off Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander, he became the 29th player in Major League Baseball history to accumulate 3,000 hits.
It’s one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports. It’s also tarnished—tarnished because of Rodriguez’s connections to the entire PED scandal and his own inability to admit to the use of performance enhancing drugs up until recently.
“I take full responsibility for the mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season. I regret that my actions made the situation worse than it needed to be. To Major League Baseball, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the Players Association and you, the fans, I can only say I’m sorry,” Rodriguez said in a hand-written apology back in February. “I accept the fact that many of you will not believe my apology or anything that I say at this point. I understand why and that’s on me.”
Everything Rodriguez has done since that heartfelt apology has been a clear indication that he’s looking to move on from his mistakes of the past and finish out his career strong. He seems sincere, and he understands full well that the lack of trust some fans may have should be placed solely on him.
In reporting to Spring Training early, Rodriguez received criticism from his team. There have been pundits out there indicating that everything Rodriguez accomplishes should be ignored for the “sanctity” of baseball.
Heck, there are some who believe he shouldn’t even be playing baseball.
This is all so utterly foolish.
Rodriguez made a major mistake, and he paid the price after serving a full year suspension. He’s likely never going to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is the ultimate punishment in and of itself.
But can we just give some credit where it’s due?
Dating back to his days as a high school phenom at both Christopher Columbus High School and Westminster Christian School in Florida, Rodriguez has worked his tail off to reach the level that few before him reached. For the better part of the past quarter century, Rodriguez’s life has surrounded honing his craft on the baseball diamond—including physical work that most of his naysayers could scarcely imagine.
On Friday night, Rodriguez joined an elite group of 29 players—a list that includes 25 current Hall of Famers and a future enshrinement for Derek Jeter. The only three players on this list that likely won’t end up in Cooperstown are Rafael Palmeiro, Pete Rose and A-Rod, all of whom will likely be remembered decades down the road more for their connections to the underbelly of baseball more than their accomplishments on the field.
Again, isn’t that punishment enough?
At 39-years-old (turns 40 next month), Rodriguez likely has just a couple more seasons left in his body. Even this season, where A-Rod is hitting .277 with 13 homers, he’s a shadow of his former self. A player, much like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, who played out their careers with less-than-impressive performances. He’s fighting a ghost that still haunts him today—a ghost that will follow him for the remainder of his life.
The fact that he’s one of the most gifted players in the history of the game won’t matter. The fact that he ranks ninth in MLB history in runs scored, 28th in hits, eighth in total bases, fourth in homers, and fourth in runs batted in—none of that will matter.
But what he’s doing today matters. It’s baseball history in front of our eyes. It’s a player reaching milestones that have barely been touched in the 150-plus year history of the game.
Maybe it’s time for us to let Rodriguez finish out his amazing career without continuing to throw criticism his way. He’s paid the piper, and will continue to. It’s petty to continue this mass tear down of a player we spent years lifting up. And in reality, its speaks more to our mentality than his past mistakes.
Simply put, it’s time to move on.
A-Rod has, why can’t we?
Photo: USA Today Sports